Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/12/02
By: Joseph Yeh
Taipei, Dec. 2 (CNA) The ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) major defeat
Stephen Young (right) and John Tkacik
in last Saturday’s local government elections was the result of voter dissatisfaction with its performance rather than a desire to move closer to China, two former U.S. diplomats said Sunday in Taipei.
The DPP, which came into power in May 2016, won control of only six of Taiwan’s 22 city and county governments in the Nov. 24 polls, down from the 13 it held previously, while the China-friendly opposition Kuomintang (KMT) won 15 seats, a net pickup of nine.
Some foreign media reports described the result as a major setback for the Tsai administration and a victory for Beijing.
During an exclusive interview with CNA on Sunday, however, former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Stephen Young said he saw the result as an “ordinary reaction” of Taiwanese voters who expressed discontent over the DPP’s performance over the last two years. [FULL STORY]
